LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) -- Liverpool failed to celebrate the centenary of their legendary Kop stand with any great style on Saturday but they beat West Ham 2-1 at Anfield through goals at the Kop end from Daniel Agger and Peter Crouch.

The win put behind them the disappointments of last weekend's opening day draw.

The Kop, which marks its 100th year on September 1, has seen countless superior performances from Liverpool over the years but, following an unconvincing draw at Sheffield United on Aug. 19, even their captain Steven Gerrard confessed before the game that this was an encounter his team had to win.

Liverpool did all manager Rafa Benitez could have expected of them in the first 10 minutes, apart from scoring an all-important opening goal which would have steadied their nerves and those of the expectant home support.

Gerrard shot just wide from the edge of the area, Crouch might have had a penalty following John Paintsil's clumsy challenge, Luis Garcia shot into the side netting and, closest of all, Paul Konchesky was superbly positioned to head a free-kick from Fabio Aurelio off the West Ham goal-line.

It was against the run of play, therefore, that West Ham took an 11th-minute lead and, perhaps predictably, it was a goal that owed much to a large slice of fortune for Bobby Zamora.

The forward collected Nigel Reo-Coker's ball out on the right flank and whipped in a vicious cross towards the near post, goalkeeper Jose Reina, misjudging his angles, then assisting by palming the ball into his own goal.

The goal clearly energized the visitors and, two minutes later, Marlon Harewood should have doubled the lead, collecting a through ball from Yossi Benayoun and advancing before rolling the ball just wide with a left-foot effort.

This miss would prove costly but was part of a frustrating passage of play for Liverpool. That frustration was most evident in the shape of Craig Bellamy, their Wales striker, who constantly complained at the poor service provided by teammates – the disappointing Crouch in particular.

Poor finishing, on the odd occasion on which Liverpool could fashion a chance, did not help the cause but the contest swung decisively in the final four minutes of the opening period starting with a "goal" from Reo-Coker ruled out for an unnecessary foul on Fabio Aurelio.

Moments later, Liverpool center-half Agger was allowed a huge amount of space as he gathered a loose ball just inside the West Ham half, the Dane advancing to around 30 yards from goal before delivering an unstoppable left-foot strike that swerved deceptively in the air as it beat goalkeeper Roy Carroll.

Suitably relieved by the equalizer, Liverpool fans had to wait only four minutes for another goal, this one beautifully carved out by short, sharp passes from Gerrard and Garcia.

The latter's pass played Crouch past the last line of defenders with the giant forward showing neat footwork to gather the ball, round Carroll and plant his shot emphatically past the covering West Ham players on the line.

After the interval, Gerrard opened with a note of promise, a shot from distance that whistled just past Carroll's right-hand post but it was the arrival of Liverpool debutant Dirk Kuyt, as a 52nd-minute replacement for Crouch, that proved the most exciting aspect of the second half.

Within 60 seconds, the Netherlands striker had sent a 35-yard shot curling just wide, headed off-target and almost beaten the West Ham offside trap from a through ball.

The Kop had a new cult hero to cheer and Crouch had some very serious competition for the role of Liverpool's target man.

Kuyt might have completed the victory in the 77th minute, forcing Carroll into a good full-length save with another long-range effort, but, similarly, West Ham could count themselves unlucky with Lee Bowyer scraping the far post with a poorly aimed shot from Paintsil's cross.